About

This blog has been set up to track the progress of an ambitious project at the National Trust managed property of Croome Court, Worcestershire. The project is intended to pilot the role of ‘Creative Producer’, a new way of working for the National Trust. Over 6 months from November 2010, we will be developing new and innovative ways of presenting spaces at Croome Court. This blog will document the progress of the project, allowing current updates to be readily available throughout the process, whilst also creating a record to learn from once the project is complete.

The Court is currently unfurnished, and therefore provides an exciting opportunity to experiment with new ideas around the presentation and interpretation of an historic country house. The first proposal for the Creative Producer role will take advantage of the unfurnished state of the Court’s Drawing Room by introducing a new immersive piece of inhabitable furniture: a Withdrawing Room. By exploring the root of the seventeenth century term Drawing Room as a space where people would ‘withdraw’ to for greater privacy or entertaining, the aim of the project is to develop a distinctive and beautiful piece of inhabitable furniture specifically for Croome.

The project will develop themes of ‘withdrawing’ through workshops with Croome’s staff, volunteers and visitors in order to understand contemporary interpretations of the word. The new Withdrawing Room will open Spring 2011 and will celebrate Croome’s heritage as a setting for innovative design and quality craftsmanship.